The Greater Short-Necked Spatulate Vulture is a most curious and majestic bird, which begins and ends its life as a plant. It is born into the air, from drifting seeds, and, between fifty and seventy years later, puts down roots and becomes a tree. Hundreds of vultures end their lives together, in far-flung vulture groves. One can hear them singing their last songs for miles around.

Centuries after its last song’s sung, and its throat has turned to wood, the vulture blooms. Gay orange flowers adorn its branches all summer. In autumn, the petals turn to parachutes, carrying seeds high in the air. The seeds hatch in mid-flight, and the life-cycle of the Greater Short-Necked Spatulate Vulture begins anew.